Michael J. Schlinkert

MICHAEL SCHLINKERT’s practice focuses on commercial debt financing transactions, especially within the energy, infrastructure, and financial sectors. Michael represents sponsors, borrowers, and lenders across a broad range of financial transactions, including syndicated acquisition financings, securitizations, debtor-in-possession and emergence financings, project financings, direct lending facilities, and blended finance structures, among others. He also has significant experience advising sponsors and companies on strategy related to complex financial matters, including liability management options, liquidity preservation, and workouts.

Michael previously served as assistant general counsel for an international development financial institution, acting as the institution’s primary in-house representation for various development financing transactions and advising on matters of legal transaction structure and risk mitigation. He also has experience working on debt finance transactions at other large international law firms.

Michael graduated magna cum laude from Southern Methodist University (SMU) Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas, where he also served on the SMU Law Review and as the student program director of the academic success program. While attending SMU, Michael had the opportunity to study international and comparative law at University College, in Oxford, England. Michael also holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington.

• Represented a privately held refining company in complex refinancing transactions involving secured tax-exempt bonds, a senior secured revolving credit facility, and a secured inventory monetization and intermediation facility.
• Represented LyondellBasell in connection with its US$3.25 billion revolving credit facility.
• Represented Canes Midstream LLC, a Dallas-based portfolio of EIV Capital and Denham Capital, in its acquisition and related financing of Cogent Midstream LLC (including 520 million cubic feet per day of processing capacity, over 800 miles of pipelines, 42 compressor stations, a crude oil gathering system, and substantial acreage dedications in the southern Midland Basin).
• Represented Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners in connection with a US$1.6 billion senior secured term loan B facility and separate senior secured revolving credit facility in connection with a joint venture transaction involving Oryx Midstream Services and Plains All-American.
• Represented Worley, a public Australian engineering and professional services company, in connection with its US$800 million syndicated facility and AUS$100 million sidecar facility.
• Represented MIP V Rail, LLC, an investment affiliate of Macquarie Asset Management, and its portfolio company Pinsly Railroad Company (f/k/a RailUSA, LLC), a short line United States railroad holding company, in connection with a revolving credit facility.
• Represented Tap Rock Resources II, LLC, a private oil and gas company focused on exploration and production in the Delaware basin, in a US$500 million reserve-based loan facility.
• Represented Capital One Bank, N.A., in a US$100 million term loan B and US$100 million revolving credit facility to Cureton Front Range LLC, a midstream company primarily operating in the Denver-Julesburg Basin.

Some of the above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.